Warmth
by Lady Areilite
Summary: Batman and Joker in the interrogation room. no, not from Dark Knight. Implied Batman/Joker. Rated T just to be safe.


Hello again! It is Lady Areilite. I hope you enjoy. Thank you for taking the time to read!

Disclaimer: do not own Batman, Joker, or any other characters which may appear. Those belong to DC comics.

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Summary: Batman goes to visit Joker in the interrogation room.

The guards dragged him into the interrogation room, and shoved him in. He heard a loud click and knew he was now locked in. His hollow eyes searched the dimly lit room, and he shifted in the cold metal chair. He grinned weakly at the dark figure in the middle of the room.

"I was wondering when you were going to get here," the Joker said. The Batman glared.

"Why did you kill that woman, Joker?" he growled.

"Jeez, you don't waste any time, do you?" the Joker giggled.

"Answer me, Joker."

The Joker sighed. He glanced over at one of the white walls.

"Did you know I hardly ever sleep, Bats?"

The Batman stood there, unsure of where this was going. He had read plenty of medical reports, of course, telling of the doctors' baffled reactions to the clown's seemingly endless insomnia. Why he would bring it up now, however, was beyond him.

The Joker tilted his head to one side and continued on.

"It's because I'm always cold."

To this, Batman was genuinely surprised. The Joker always seemed so full of fire, his wild antics and destructive ways only highlighting some sort of burning rage. _So the Joker feels temperature too, huh? _Batman thought. _At least there's a little human in him. _

The Joker shifted restlessly in his straight jacket. "Couldn't you loosen this thing, Bats? It's driving me crazy."

Batman stopped to think of the irony of the Joker being driven insane by the things that were supposed to be bringing him back to sanity. Batman shook his head.

"You know I'm not allowed to."

The Joker sighed, and Batman felt a stab of anger.

"Enough of this, Joker. Why did you kill that woman?"

The Joker shook his head. "I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" Batman said, frustrated.

"You're too far away."

The Batman debated. This could well be another one of the Joker's tricks. _But, _Batman thought as he looked as the Joker's drugged eyes, his flickering tongue, _it couldn't hurt to try. _

He stepped closer. The Joker looked at him with weary eyes.

"You know, I always feel safer with you around," he said softly.

"We're enemies," Batman stated flatly.

"I know that," The Joker replied, acidly. He went on, muttering, "..doesn't mean that that changes my feelings…"

The Batman placed his hands on the metal table separating them, and leaned forward. "Tell me why you killed her," he half-whispered.

"In a minute." Joker teased. "Sit down, you look tired."

Apparently, the Joker liked ordering the Batman around. As he still needed answers, he obliged.

"All right, Joker, why did you-"

"She was looking at you."

Batman stared, stupefied.

"What?"

The Joker glared. "She. Was. Looking. At. You."

"That hardly seems a worthy reason of killing someone-"

"YES IT IS!" The Joker stood, knocking over his chair. "SHE WAS LOOKING AT YOU WITH THOSE EYES! _THOSE_ EYES! YOU DIDN'T THINK I'D NOTICE, BUT SHE WATCHED YOU FOR _WEEKS_-"

"Calm down, Joker-"

"C…Calm down? CALM DOWN?! _I'M_ THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN LOOK AT YOU LIKE THAT!"

The Joker immediately winced, as if he hadn't meant to say that last bit.

The Batman sat, stunned. Drugged as he was, the Joker _couldn't understand the implications of what he just said…could he? He stood in front of him, his breathing labored, his scorching eyes ever watching his reactions. The Batman felt rather uncomfortable under his stare. _

_Then suddenly, he swayed, and Batman leapt forward. He caught the clown just in time. _

_He sat back down, awkwardly holding the Joker close. The clown's eyes fluttered open. _

"_You're warm, Bats…"he muttered. He lifted his head a bit to look him in the eye. _

"_You know what I like most about you, Bats?" The Joker's words were slurred. _

"_You…accept me. No matter what I do…or how bad I get…you've…never called me a freak. You've never…"his words trailed off. _

_The Batman listened to his slowing breathing, and gently brushed away a few strands from his face. After a few minutes, Batman realized he was asleep. He lifted the Clown Prince of Crime carefully and nodded to the one-way mirror, indicating to open the door. He walked into the hallway. _

_Gordon shook his head, amused. _

"_Why I've never seem such a thing. No medicines ever worked on him, but a few minutes alone with you he's sleeping like a baby."_

_The Joker woke back in his cell. For a minute he was disappointed, until he felt a soft material covering him. With difficulty, he glanced down, and smiled when he saw that it was the batman's cloak. He curled up beneath it, as sleep enveloped him again. Surely his bat would no longer allow him to be cold any longer. _

_~OWARI~_

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_Ugh…my head…I wrote this at twelve at night, and was improving it ever since. I actually cannot register whether or not the final product is any good anymore, because I can barely see the screen in front of me. I think I'll sleep after this…_

_Please review, I'd love to hear what you have to say. _


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